Double Bass Position of body in relation to DB

[Andy Mopley]

does it change between French and German? I have been doing a bit of practice with a German bow but I find that the muscles on the left side of my upper/middle back (I play right handed) just feel a bit more sore after a while. This could be completely normal, say after 30-45m of practice (eg from not using that particular muscle group) or it simply bad technique? I also play standing, FYI.
The other thing I'd like to ask is what should the body position be in relation to when looking at a score, to avoid unnecessary twisting? I notice that not a lot of this is talked about in various videos I've looked at.

Regards to all

 

[Neil Pye]

I'd suggest you'd be best working out the position for your music stand by playing as you normally would, and just being aware of where your eyeline falls, and putting the stand there. I find in an orchesrtal setting that I need the stand in line with my view of the conductor, and lower than you would think, so your view of the conductor is primary, and you have to actually look at the music

 

[Andy Mopley]

Yes, thanks Neil, agree with that on the music stand part...However, in so far as the turning of the body when using German, is the bowing arm, for example, slightly out further than say when using French thus also requiring more twisting to get around the G string?

 

[csrund]

does it change between French and German? I have been doing a bit of practice with a German bow but I find that the muscles on the left side of my upper/middle back (I play right handed) just feel a bit more sore after a while.

One significant difference between the two bows is that German necessitates a pronounced drop in the right shoulder and bending of the spine when playing on the low string near the frog; this on account of the upper bout getting in the way of the forearm when playing the underhanded grip. Perhaps your back pain is a symptom of this physical accommodation. (With French bow, wrist extension helps accommodate getting the bow into the low string, so there's no need for a pronounced shoulder drop.) Here's a photo that shows the shoulder drop and spine arch very clearly:

I personally don't think there is a significant difference in body/bass relational position with the two bows. At least I've haven't felt any difference when I go from one bow to the other, and I don't approach that aspect of playing any differently.

Having said that, here is another photo that shows the Vienna Phil players (from nearly 50 years ago), and it appears that perhaps they have adopted a slightly different posture, with the instrument at a slightly obtuse angle from the body, perhaps to mitigate the shoulder drop when playing the low side of the bass. However, notice the effect this playing posture has on the left wrist—it becomes more "guitar like" to accommodate the angle of the bass. (Personally, I don't think I could handle this posture; it looks like an invitation to injury.)

One thing I like about the five-string bass with German bow, incidentally, is that the E string is higher on the bridge arc, and it's easier to play near the frog; you don't have to drop the shoulder until you go down to the B string.

Hope this is helpful!

 

[Andy Mopley]

Perfect!
Thank you csrund.